NFL schedules Cowboys for Hall of Fame game

The 2010 NFL preseason will kick off with the Dallas Cowboys facing the Cincinnati Bengals in the Hall of Game on Aug. 8, the league announced Wednesday.

The trip to Canton, Ohio, means the Cowboys will play five preseason games this year, which makes it easier for them to fulfill their goal of splitting training camp between San Antonio and Oxnard, Calif.

The Cowboys are contractually bound to train at the Alamodome through 2011, but owner Jerry Jones also wants the club to spend a portion of camp working out in Oxnard, Calif., where the team trained from 2004-2006 and in 2008.

The decision to split this year’s camp probably won’t be made until the team learns whether it will also play a preseason game on the West Coast.

The Hall of Fame game will be televised nationally by NBC starting at 7 p.m.

The Cowboys’ last appearance in the Hall of Fame game was in 1999. With Cowboys great Emmitt Smith set to be inducted Aug. 7, Jones lobbied for the team to be involved in this year’s game.

“It’s always an honor to be selected to play in this game,” Jones said in a statement. “More importantly, I really believe having our players share in Emmitt Smith’s Hall of Fame enshrinement should serve as an inspiration to every man on our roster, whether it be a 10-year vet or a rookie.”